Trust Tax Fundamentals 5:
Trust Accounting Income 

  • Instructor: Clint Bentz
  • Level: Basic
  • CPE Credits:  3.6
  • Field of Study: Taxes
Who should attend? Public and private accountants and tax preparers serving clients in the US.
Watch the course overview video to learn more!
Trust Tax Fundamentals 5: Trust Accounting Income deepens your expertise by thoroughly examining the critical rules governing Trust Accounting Income (TAI). As the fifth course in our comprehensive Trust Tax Fundamentals program, this session emphasizes the accurate identification, calculation, and allocation of trust receipts and disbursements to income and principal under statutory accounting rules.

Under the expert guidance of Clint Bentz, CPA, a fiduciary tax specialist with more than 35 years of experience, you’ll master the nuances of both the 2008 Uniform Principal and Income Act (UPIA) and the more recent 2018 Fiduciary Income and Principal Act (FIPA). These rules form the backbone of fiduciary accounting, and understanding their differences and applications is essential for correctly managing trust distributions and fulfilling your fiduciary responsibilities.

Through practical examples and clear explanations, this course addresses complex scenarios such as distributions from pass-through entities, asset-backed securities, insurance proceeds, derivative transactions, and the intricacies of handling “phantom income.” You’ll also explore advanced fiduciary tools, including the trustee’s discretionary power to adjust between income and principal, and how to strategically utilize unitrust conversions for equitable beneficiary treatment.

By completing Trust Tax Fundamentals 5, you will be proficient in calculating and allocating TAI accurately, thereby fulfilling the trustee's core fiduciary role of ensuring fairness and impartiality among income and remainder beneficiaries. You’ll also learn best practices for reporting and compliance that safeguard trustees from potential fiduciary liabilities.

Gain confidence and clarity in your fiduciary duties by mastering Trust Accounting Income, and enhance your professional effectiveness in navigating complex trust management challenges.

See the Course Overview & Introduction below for more details and the detailed Learning Objectives. 

Clint Bentz Consulting LLC is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org
Lesson series
This is an on-demand, QAS Self Study course.

This is the 5th course in the Trust Tax Fundamentals Program.
Trust Tax Fundamentals 1, 2, 3, & 4 are pre-requisites for this course.

Students must complete all learning activities and achieve a minimum score of 70% on the final assessment to earn CPE credit for this course.

A CPE certificate will be issued at the completion of the course.

Access to this course will expire 12 months after date of purchase per NASBA requirements.

This course is current for tax law in effect following the passage of the OBBB.

Publication Date: November 2025
Revision: 2025 Tax Year
Review Date: November 2025
  • Video time: 2.25 hours
  • 1 Comprehensive Assessment (must pass with 70% or higher to earn CPE credits)

Course contents

Meet the instructor

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Clint Bentz

Managing Member, Clint Bentz Consulting LLC
Clint Bentz is a managing member and lead instructor at Clint Bentz Consulting.
For over 35 years, Clint has been helping families with their estate and succession planning, as well as providing continuing professional education to tax professionals, attorneys, bankers, trust officers, and lay audiences on a broad range of income and estate tax issues, as well as training advisors on how to keep family-owned businesses with succession.
Clint is the primary author of the Ties to the Land curriculum published by Oregon State Extension Service and the OSU Austin Family Business Program.